Nxai Pan National Park | Botswana Safari Travel Destination

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Nxai Pan National Park

Nxai Pan Destination Guide

Nxai Pan National Park covers about 2,100 square kilometers of fossil lake bed on the northern side of the Makgadikgadi, most of it now short grassland dotted with salt pans. When the rains arrive between November and April, zebra herds move in to graze the new grass, and the bare plains turn green. Baines’ Baobabs stand on the edge of Kudiakam Pan in the south, and visitors are few even in the busiest months.

Getting to Nxai Pan

By Air: Guests will be met at OR Tambo International and transferred to a flight to Maun Airport in Botswana. It is a one-hour light aircraft flight from Maun Airport to the airstrip near Nxai Pan. Remember that light aircraft flights can be bumpy, especially the landings. If you are uncomfortable with small planes, please speak to an African Sky consultant so we can make other arrangements.

By Road: The park lies more than 500 km north of Gaborone, off the main road between Nata and Maun. The arduous drive covers beautiful landscapes and is a great way to get to know the area. African Sky guests, however, will be transported directly to the park in a light aircraft, where, upon arrival, an experienced guide will transport you in a 4x4 vehicle to the lodge. The Botswana Tourism Organisation’s official Nxai Pan National Park page puts the park about 50 km from the Nata to Maun road.

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Rainy (Nov–Apr): pans hold water; zebra and other grazers concentrate; some roads can be muddy. Dry (May–Oct): easier travel, fewer visitors, stark desert scenery, and predator interactions are more visible.

Black-backed jackal sniffing a rocky ridge directly beside a shallow pool of water.

In addition to wildlife and islands, there are several noteworthy attractions. One is the "old trek route," a trail used in the 1950s and 1960s as a shortcut through Ngamiland to Kazungula via Pandamatenga. During this time, many boreholes were drilled to water the cattle and men on their long trek. Some of these boreholes now provide water for wildlife, creating unique oases that attract large animal concentrations in the dry season.

Country

Botswana

Established

Protected 1970; national park 1992

Size

~2,100 km²

Famous Feature

Baines Baobabs

Pan Size

40 km²

Migration Season

Nov–Apr

Top Activity

Bushman nature walks

Best Photography

Open pans & baobab silhouettes

Reasons to visit Nxai Pan

1

Photography

The pan is not a traditional safari destination. Still, it has the advantage of very little to no vegetation cover, making it possible to capture images of various antelope and predator species unhindered. Nxai also offers Baines Baobabs, which create a fantastic feature against a backdrop of Kudiakam Pan.

2

Nature Walks with Bushmen

A nature walk in the company of a San Bushman will offer unrivaled insight into the natural world. The ancestors of these hunter-gatherers have inhabited the region for thousands of years. During the detailed interaction, animal behavior, signs, and tracks left by various species will come under the spotlight.

3

Meerkat Encounters

Observing the antics of a meerkat gang is informative, exciting, and delightful. These tiny critters have an evolved social structure, with each playing a part in gathering food, tending the young, and guard duty. When a sentry raises the alarm, the whole mob disappears into their burrow at lightning speed.

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Experiences to Savor

As with all other safari destinations, the rewarding experiences revolve around viewing animals in their environment and time spent in a quiet, open landscape.

Two zebras kicking up loose dirt while rearing up among a large grazing herd.

Migrations

Once the rains have fallen, you can observe herds of wildebeest, gemsbok, springbok, and zebra as they migrate to this arid region to feed on newly sprouted vegetation. The zebra migration is notable for the number of these horse-like mammals that travel annually to Nxai Pan.

Baobab trees stand on flat white ground surrounded by short grass.

Baines Baobabs

Baines Baobabs is a group of seven ancient baobab trees named after the legendary artist and explorer Thomas Baines, who painted them in 1862. It is a remarkable site, with massive baobabs highlighted on the edge of Kudiakam Pan in the southern part of the national park.

Aerial view of white salt flats and brown earth patches under a blue sky.

Savor the Silence

The silence can be almost “deafening” when standing at the edge of the pans at dusk. If a light wind is blowing, it is an almost spiritual experience. The locals often say the soft breeze blowing across the seemingly endless pans talks to them.

Useful Information

History

The pans started forming more than five million years ago when the rivers that flowed into the great lake changed direction. Nxai Pan was first protected in 1970 and became a national park in 1992, when its boundaries were expanded to include the area where Baines’ Baobabs stand. Today the park is 2,578 square kilometers in extent. In 1862, Thomas Baines and his companion James Chapman traveled through the Nxai Pan in ox wagons en route to Victoria Falls. They made a stop near the group of baobabs and were so amazed by these “upside-down trees” that Baines painted them. The painting became famous and drew attention to this striking natural site.

Wildlife

Once the rainy season starts in November or December, thousands of animals migrate in herds to the Nxai Pan National Park. The park transforms from an arid wasteland into a “Garden of Eden.” The waterhole, 2 km from the main entrance, is the best place to see all these animals interacting. Permanent residents of the area surrounding the waterhole are lion, giraffe, kudu, impala, ostrich, fascinating birdlife, large numbers of springbok, a sizable jackal population, bat-eared fox, and numerous smaller creatures. Staggering numbers of animals join these residents during the rainy season as herds of thousands of zebra, gemsbok, and wildebeest migrate to this area.

Vegetation & Terrain

In essence, the park is an arid wasteland during the dry season from May to October, when it becomes so dry that animals have to fight for food and water. There are different types of vegetation in various parts of the park. In the northern part of the park, the soil tends to be almost clay-like because of the high moisture present; trees like mopane grow here. Most of the park is void of trees and covered in short grass only.

Activities

Game viewing is best in the rainy season, from November to April, as the zebra migration reaches the Nxai Pan. It includes large numbers of zebra. Other animals you might see include wildebeest, springbok, lion, cheetah, and many more. Baines Baobabs is a sight you must see when visiting the pan. It is a cluster of seven baobab trees on the edge of Kudiakam Pan. Some of these trees are over a thousand years old. They were stumbled upon by Thomas Baines, who painted them in a picture that later became famous. This cluster of trees is a national monument and still looks the same as when Baines painted it in the 1800s. Birdwatching is also a favored activity for visitors to Nxai Pan, with the chance to see kori bustard, korhaan and red-necked falcon on the open grassland.

Nxai Pan sits just north of the Makgadikgadi Pans, across the Nata to Maun road, and the two parks are often visited together: Nxai for the rainy-season grazers, the Makgadikgadi for its salt flats and meerkats.